Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

16 reviews

mrswhiteinthelibrary's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Hank Green managed to write a spot-on satire of the Covid-19 pandemic several years before it happened, pinpointing the source of our intense division and the misery of being more connected than ever but ever more alone... And he did it without it being a pretentious slog, in a book with mechas, puzzles, and a true sense of wonder. While some aspects of it may grate (the sometimes overly twee dialogue that his brother also seems to love to employ) his use of specific details and his deeply flawed heroine keep this book grounded and the pages fly by. Bravo all around.
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libbyhb's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful informative mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I knew vaguely what this was about, but it was definitely not what I expected! I liked how much of this story was centered on internet community-building and the power of the collective, since that's been Hank Green's life these past 14-ish years at least. This was hard to get into at first, just because it throws you into a really frantic-paced story right out the gate, but once I got used to that I really enjoyed it. April is a fun protagonist, and I liked that she was so explicitly focused on being famous, on being The One who did everything first - and how the story unfolded to prove that that wasn't the way. The review question "Are the flaws of the main characters a main focus of the book?" made me laugh becuase, yes. They're OUT THERE. The Dream was maybe my favorite part - it was so cool and well-conceived and I could really feel the Hank in it. I'm looking forward to the next book, although I wouldn't have even minded if this was a standalone, even with how it ended.
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mxfahrenheit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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eamily's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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kellys_bookcase's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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empathephant's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

So the first time I read this I ate it up. I was sick, it was like a two day read, and all I cared about was the plot and the mystery. At times I kind of rolled my eyes a little bit as I thought Hank was definitely using the book to insert some vlogbrothers-style essay musings on life, which, while interesting pulled me out of the story a little as the voice felt more like Hank than the narrator. But I liked it enough to immediately suggest it as a book I could read aloud to my husband.

In forcing myself to slow down and read it I realized that I never really bonded with the characters. April is kind of annoying as hell. She has "flaws", but they don't seem to get in her way nor does she ever grow past being an impulsive entitled asshole towards people she theoretically should care about. And while the cast is "diverse," they are all gorgeous, ridiculously smart/talented women. Which doesn't feel relatable to me. These people are becoming more and more famous and are literally never self-conscious? Never think about their bodies? Maybe I'm wrong and most women around me are shining beams of confidence in every moment, but...

All of that said, I'd still recommend this book. I think many of its flaws are ones that can easily be ascribed to a first time author who had a pretty quick avenue to getting published, and Hank has an amazing imagination and I can't wait to see him grow as an author. And even more importantly, this book is super timely in the questions it makes you ask yourself about society, politics, and the dynamics of healthy debate on the internet. The idea of
The Dream
was delightful, and I loved every moment I got to spend in it. I grew from reading the book despite not connecting with the characters, which to me says the ideas it contains are pretty smart.

(Also, I'm finding the second book a lot better in terms of character development, and it has a compelling story, so it's worth it to read this just to get to that.)
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